a question requiring thought...

[zooker]

ok it is nearly december the year end question is.
what lures worked best for you this year? which ones did not produce?
what new baits did you try this year that worked?

for me a c-rig was the go to rig. normally using a lizard. the baby bush hog was my best t-rigged bait.

though i caught a few bass on each the crankbait and spinnerbait were my worst baits this year..

worked the jig quite a bit this year caught several fish on it. the demon has put some fish in the boat more than other years.

zooker

[Fishie]

I am going to do this by season because no one bait really produced all year for me.

Pre-Spawn

I remember getting fish on rattletraps in bluegill color and golden shad. Caught some nice 5 lbers in the beginning of the year. I remember throwing a strike king 4s on a dam wall and getting some 4lbers on back to back casts.8lb line with this setup.

Spawn.

Didn't really fish during it at all was too busy with baseball and stuff

early summer-

Strike king lizard tubes and tube baits payed off bigtime and they were really smacking the strike king crawltubes until it got really hot.

Summer.

Time of tubes and Madman crawl tubes got me some nice fish and were my got to baits. Sometimes a worm would pay off.

Late summer.

The sweet beaver and jigs really produced for me on my lakes. Caught lots of fish on these

Fall.

Rattle traps and sweetbeavers produced. Dropshotting started working better for me.

Now

They are doing justice to cranks for me. Also on some lakes getting hits on d shot worms and t rigged centipede baits.

[JB]

zooker,
was the problem due to clearer than normal water this year? it was like that for us later in the season.
This year for me the spook did well and new brands of crawls I experimented with,
Also had great luck with tiki sticks for first time , also got some time with the spinnerbait in darker water over at the resevoir..all in all a good season full of spunky bass, just to bad it ended around here too soon..

[River stumps]

I didn't catch any big fish, but I caught healthy fish. Stanley wedge was my best producer. The spook and the bang-o-lure was good to me. Caught some healthy fish on the fluke and the 6" edge floater worm. The baby 1 produced the least amount. Those were my best.

[Marty]

One new bait that I used a lot starting this fall is the Heddon (formerly Excalibur) Swim'n Image. I've been fishing this pond that has submerged weeds throughout that come up to a couple feet of the surface and using a super shallow crankbait seems one logical way to fish the place.

Most of those cranks, such as the highly popular Baby 1-Minus and its clones, are short, fat, wide-wobbling baits. The Swim'n Image offers an alternative, as it has a longer profile and a tight wiggle. It has readily caught both bass and pike.

[Fishie]

I don't fish senkos at all hardly. I fished them for longer than 8 minutes probably only 8 times the whole year. I can't stand how slow they work. I use to fish them all the time and slaughter the bass but for some reason they won't hit them anymore. I guess I taught those bass a lesson. Lol but probably they just are not into them this year for me anyhow.

[WTL]

Well Zook you just hit on one of my big problems for the year - I could not get going big time on any lure. The past few years I had been doing real well with flukes and senkos and I still caught some on those this year, but it wasn't the same. I really had to swith lures up, especially on my most successful days I would have a few on a spinnerbait and a few on a jig and 1 good one on a worm and 3 on a crankbait and so on....

I guess my best lure would be the 11 inch redshad yum worm. I really remember only catching a handfull on it all year, but 2 were over 5 so thats a start.

[zooker]

yeah jb a spinner bait and clear water don't work well.

zooker

[basstech]

For me, this year started out with a bang. Starting in late Feb. through to april the weekend before the april 16th (did yard work 16th,17th.) It was a the best spring I've ever had with suspended rattling rogue. Caught some nice fish early april on wiggle warts. Then on the 18th actually starting that saturday the 16th had a heart attack and put me out for a couple of months. That sucked. Financially didn't get caught up untill the end of june(so I really didn't fish much, mostly crappie fished when I did). From there, it was all buzz bait and crank bait. A little spinner bait action too. Tried soft plastics the whole year round but nothing did anything consistantly except for the cranks and buzz baits. Then from late august to early oct. lipless vibrating cranks over thetops of coontail clobbered the bass. Again no type of soft plastic rigged in any way seemed to produce, would catch one here or there. Haven't been able to get a consistant bite since late oct. to now. lipless vibrators still seem to be the best producers.
Soft plastics have been a mainstay for me all my fishing life untill this year. Don't know what it was, cause I wasn't the only one struggling with 'em at the lake I fish. Didn't try any "new" baits that I haven't used before this year. Buzz bait was the only topwater to really get fish also. tried a myriad of other top waters but bass seemed to refuse to brake the surface for them. Was a very strange year overall. IMO.

[Fishie]

Basstech check your PM. I got a couple of questions for you on Jacoma and Bluesprings lake?

[NCYankee]

I still over-rely on confidence baits. I caught most of my bass on plastic worms C-rigged in the Spring and early Summer. I started using deep diving crankbaits mostly in mid-Summer to Fall. Now, I'm using mostly shallow cranks, spinners, and occasionally a jig. I'm still expanding my repertoire. I can't say what works best. But I can say that I have caught most of my bass on plastic worms and crankbaits. I did force myself to try tiki sticks and flukes. I pretty much only used them when spot fishing though. I'm going to start using more jigs. I've never caught anything on a jig n pig because I've rarely used them. I know people who say if they could only use one bait, they would choose a jig n pig. Must be something to them.

[454ss]

Best bait for me was a red/black kinami or culprit

Best NEW lol Tiki stick red/black,watermelon

Worst bait=tube baits

[pig n jig]

The Bamboo stick was the most consistant for me,The jig always produces,as well as the tube baits.I also had luck with the 1/2oz.leverage gold shad spinnerbait & even the little 1/4 oz.Hildebrant okachobee special spinnerbaits.The others that really surprised me was the Norman Thin N crankbait and the Yamamoto 5" cuttail worm. The most disapointing bait this year was the swim baits.I fished them alot only to catch a few fish.Not like the big hype you see on T.V. and in magazines. I had a good year fishing, not quite as good as the last 2 years, but I am not complaining. P N J

[lovinfishin9]

best--- t- rigged 10 in worm, wacky rigged senko, weightless t-rig senko,
best new bait--- 4 in tube t-rigged
worst baits--- spinnerbaits, crankbaits

[Rodman_Rob]

flukes did good for me throughout the year. cranks, spinners, and worms were consistant but nothing extrodinary. Jigs were a disapointment but can't complain as the conditions when I was out never really warented a jig. My favorite new bait is definately the Siesmic Toad in green melon, awsome action whether you're fishing it as a top water, or if you're fishing it as a normal soft plastic.

[KenDammit]

spinnerbaits, spinnerbaits, spinnerbaits .....and jigs. Those were the best for me. Oh, and a roadrunner w/ a 3 in. single tail grub..don't shoot me for it.

Non producing lures were the brush hogs, 10" purple culprit worms, and uhh....I THINK thats it.

New baits I tried, that worked..a spook, a Tiki Stik, and Yum Craw Bugs(I think thats what they are called) in blue.

[pig n jig]

Rodman Rob, Which size of the sizmic frog do you use ? P N J

[Rodman_Rob]

4" and love the action, just saw the site you posted, didn't know they had a smaller version, bait monkey tells me we'll pick a few up and try 'em out.

[bassnman30]

Zook,
The other day I caught appx. 10 lbs on Badin while using a spinnerbait.
A couple 3's and a 5.
Yesterday, I caught a few slightly smaller keepers using the same bait.
Water vis. appx 4'-5'.

[zooker]

be still my heart YOU caught fish in badin!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thought you said" is there any fish in this lake?" caught a bunch sat with jerry big over 4 this morning i caught 10 one short big 4-5 then the rain came. remind me to kick my cousin's butt he still has my rain suit in his boat...

zooker

[va_basser]

baits that produced:lizards,trick worms,brush hogs and pop-r's
baits that didnt do so well:crankbaits and jerkbaits(I blame inexperience on this!)
new things tried:4in cuttail and finesse worms on 3/16 jigheads,dropshotting,texas rigging and deadsticking trick worms.
oh and I FINALLY caught fish with stickbaits.

[Marty]

Originally Posted by pig n jig

Rodman Rob, Which size of the sizmic frog do you use ? P N J

I also use the 4" size. On opening day I caught my personal best on it, using it like a buzzbait. However, I didn't use them all that much because they roll over no matter what I do and I find it hard to keep them skin-hooked; the hook keeps coming loose and gets exposed.

[zooker]

marty zoom horny toads work best at that type fishing.. one side has ridges the other looks like a boat bottom -planes out real well -

zooker

[Rodman_Rob]

haven't had as much luck with the zoom toads, don't like the action as much either.

[Marty]

I tried the Horny Toads briefly and they rolled over too. The reason I originally chose the Sizmic was that it looked like I could get a good hookset with it easier than the Horny, based on the thickness. The Horny looked to me like it would best be fished with somewhat heavier equipment that I use.

At any rate, what I use much more than the toads is the tail half of a Speed Worm fused to the body of a Fluke or Assassin.